How India fared at the 2018 CWG – Highlights

NEW DELHI: The 2018 Commonwealth Games has come to a close, and with it the very satisfying result of India’s third most successful CWG of all time. Slotting in at third place after the Delhi Games where 101 medals were won and Manchester 2002 (69), the Gold Coast CWG saw India win 66 medals – 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze. India bettered their medal tally by two from the previous edition, Glasgow 2014, where they had won 64 medals.

Hopes were high from India’s 200-strong athletic contingent and the result has been excellent. India finished third on the medal tally behind behind Australia (198) and England (136) with many sportspersons putting in outstanding and record-breaking performances over the last 11 days.

Among the highlights of India’s performances at the Gold Coast Games were:

– World champion and CWG record holder Saikhom Mirabai Chanu breaking six records in six lifts to storm her way to gold the women’s 48kg weightlifting event.

– Manika Batra clinching gold in the women’s singles table tennis final to become the first Indian woman to do so. Overall, Batra won four medals at the CWG.

– The country’s first women’s table tennis team gold, secured when Batra led them to an unprecedented victory over four-time CWG gold medalists Singapore.

– Saina Nehwal becoming the first female Indian shuttler to win two individual badminton gold medals, after defeating World No 3 PV Sindhu 21-18, 23-22 in a riveting women’s singles final.

– 15-year-old pistol sensation Anish Bhanwala becoming the youngest Indian gold medalist at the CWG with a Games record score of 30 in the men’s 25pm rapid fire pistol finals.

– Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist MC Mary Kom, at the age of 35, winning her first CWG medal by claiming gold in the women’s 45-48kg boxing event.

– Teenage shooting prodigy Manu Bhaker winning gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event after she shot a qualifying CWG record score of 388/400 in her first appearance at the Games.

– Neeraj Chopra marking his CWG debut with a season bestsellers throw of 86.47 to win a javelin gold.

– Shooters Tejaswini Sawant and Heena Sidhu taking two medals. Sawant won gold in the women’s 50m rifle 3 prone and silver in the 50m rifle prone, and Sidhu gold in the women’s 25m pistol (with a CWG record 38) and silver in the 10m air pistol. – Wrestler Bajrang Punia winning gold in the men’s freestyle 64kg finals with a two-minute win over Kane Charig of Wales. – Sushil Kumar winning his third consecutive CWG gold. Sushil won his freestyle 74kg final to make it three in a row after 66kg gold in 2010 and 74kg gold in Glasgow. – The most successful medal haul from badminton at any CWG. India’s shuttlers brought home six medals at Gold Coast, surpassing the four from Delhi 2010. – The most successful medal haul in table tennis at any CWG – eight medals. Source : timesofindia